17 Jul 07

The Pitt Rivers Museum is to receive a £1 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to restore the original entrance view of its galleries, including the spectacular, 36-foot Totem Pole. This will be the second phase of the Museum's development plan following the construction of its major new extension in 2006.

The 1960s exhibition gallery at the entrance to the museum will be dismantled and the original display cases will be restored. This will free up space upstairs which will be used to support additional education services and family activities. The new entrance area will also improve the service for visitors by providing a new shop and information point and improved wheelchair and pushchair access.

The Pitt Rivers is an international centre for Anthropology and World Archaeology and displays objects from all over the world. It was founded in 1884 by General Pitt Rivers, who donated his personal collection to the University on condition that a museum was built to house them. The Museum now holds around half a million objects of which some 80,000 are on display at any one time. The Museum is visited by nearly 190,000 people a year and is also an active University department supporting research and teaching into archaeology and anthropology.

The majority of objects in the Museum are displayed typologically, that is grouped by form or purpose rather than by geographic or cultural origin. This unusual layout, originally developed by General Pitt Rivers himself, remains one of the Museum's many sources of appeal.

Michael O'Hanlon, the Museum's Director, said: 'We are absolutely delighted with this generous award which makes possible the second phase of our development plan. The project will both restore the dramatic entrance vista which visitors originally had of the Museum and enhance access for all.'

Sheena Vick, Heritage Lottery Fund Manager for the South East, said: 'Pitt Rivers is hugely popular with a treasure trove of collections. Today's news means the museum can transform the way it welcomes its visitors and give them an even greater insight into the stories within.'

A further £400,000 needs to be found for the project and the Museum is committed to raising this sum from public and private benefactors.